LAUSR

In this paper a “pedagogical” description of the scattering of two colliding nuclei is given. Some essential concepts are introduced, like the cross-section definition and the basic ingredients of scattering theory, which are preparatory for the discussion on the optical model. Phenomenological optical potentials are described, like the Woods-Saxon and the double-folding potential, highlighting their limits and the modifications that have been introduced in order to explain the new features that have emerged from experimental data with radioactive beams.